In a nutshell, each team has a budget of $500 (not counting the original vehicle itself and safety equipment) to modify any kids’ electric rideable toy car to outperform all the others. Then, at each race in the series, teams will compete, testing speed, agility, handling, and last but not least moxie. Yes, that’s right: not only do you have to have the engineering prowess to devise a superior hack, you have to make a crowd-pleasing spectacle of yourself. You know you want to do it. It might just be the most fun you’ve ever had!

We feature a full profile of PPPRS in the latest issue of MAKE, Volume 33. Read an interview with event organizer Jim Burke, check out notable vehicle images and stats from previous years, scope the PPPRS timeline, and glean hilarious wisdom from the rule book.

Wondering why Power Racing Series’ acronym is PPPRS? This is why:

Following is the What and Why straight from PPPRS’ site, along with some video selects from 2012 to get you amped. It’s all about the action, right?

What Is It?

We run an annual racing series in which small teams from all over the country strip down and build up kids’ Power Wheels cars and race them on a specially designed track for hundreds of cheering fans. The challenge — to create a working electric vehicle for less than $500 using open source tools and tech — encourages progressive use of available technology and inspires our teams to help each other, even in the spirit of lighthearted competition. We believe these inventive creations will eventually inspire the street legal electric vehicles of our future.

We are the Power Racing Series, and we want you to help us change the world.

Why?

We believe in the power of sharing knowledge, tools, and tech among inspired people of all ages and abilities. We believe that crowd sourced research and development will be the solution to some of the most difficult challenges our society faces today — transportation, renewable energy, viable education for our technological world. Most of all, we believe that ordinary people, students, hackerspaces, and small start ups will lead us into the future.

Through our innovative racing series, we make engineering entertaining and approachable. We work to advance technology education and encourage people to try something new.

Videos

Kansas City Maker Faire 2012 recap by Jimgress:

Teaser video for PPPRS at Maker Faire Detroit 2012, made by The Henry Ford:

I’m a word nerd who loves to geek out on how emerging technology affects the lexicon. When not fawning over perfect word choices, I can be found on the nearest mountain, looking for untouched powder fields and ideal alpine lakes.

I was an editor for the first 40 volumes of MAKE. The maker movement provides me with endless inspiration, and I love shining light on the incredible makers in our community. Covering art is my passion — after all, art is the first thing most of us ever made.